TIATR REVIEWs BY JP PEREIRA
John D’Silva’s new tiatr ‘Aponn’ is a caution against the ‘change in name’, that many migrants in Goa are indulging in. The consequences of what Goans will face, especially with the arrogant behavior of many migrants as well as the casteism that prevails among Goans, is also looked into.
A Goan from the OBC category is trying to get a reserved seat in a professional college. Unfortunately for her, the seats go to certain people who are from other states. They have changed their names to common Goan names and have obtained admissions.
Another Goan returns to his homeland after working in Mumbai for 30 years. He wants to obtain a Portuguese passport but his name has already been used by a migrant. He had never bothered to return to Goa, although Mumbai is not that far away. A Goan living in Canada wants to set up an industry on his property, but the land has been sold to a buyer from Delhi. Now the Goans want to get together and fight back. Will the authorities put an end to this menace? Will the Goans succeed?
Many of the happenings are depicted. Unfortunately some Goans living abroad never bother about their heritage in Goa and when the need arises, discover that the same has been usurped.
The tiatr is like a docu-drama, with lots of sermonising
and warnings. Some migrants come here and do menial work and earn a living
while others try to rob and sell properties. Goans working in other states are
not arrogant and they follow the rules of that land. So why should Goans accept
arrogance and thievery from these migrants, is the question of the day.
These are the highlights of the script. There is good acting and timely light
effects from AP Rojols. The cast has Aloma as the OBC candidate. Peter de Pedda
plays her brother.
Milagres de Ganapoga is the Mumbai return and Ivon is the Canadian who wants to set up an industry. Socorro de Sta Cruz plays a real estate agent, Aniceto is the upright cop. John, Kenny, Remy and Meena provide humour. The first two have lots to tell the audience and are also helping to fight the issue.
Cristo (trumpet), Natasha (saxophone), Jose (keyboard), Mauvin (drums) and Twiggy (bass) back a variety of songs. Aniceto with Socorro render the opening song in praise of John D’Silva. There are others songs from Aniceto, Socorro, Aloma, Peter, Milagres, John and others.
A trio on Goan traditions by Ivon-Socorro-Aniceto and a humorous quartet by Meena-Peter-Ivon-Kenny are impressive. Watch the show and remember, Goans have been warned!
‘Raza Jeita, Kombo Choita’
Comedian Selvy has released his new drama ‘Raza Jeita, Kombo Choita’. A total entertainer, this is a laugh riot, from beginning to end.
This is a story of a grave digger, who we call ‘pedo’. It’s a profession that many look down upon, but at the same time, when death occurs, he is one of the most important persons. The grave has to be dug! Armand is a ‘pedo’ and does his work sincerely. He is grateful to God for his life and his two children, Nisha and Sergio, who are well qualified. The daughter is proud of her father but the son feels ashamed of his father’s profession. He is also unable to get a job and the poverty all around, overwhelms him. Souza is a corrupt road contractor and his daughter, Trisha is rich, spoilt, and has a big ego. Now Trisha and Sergio fall in love. There are more characters. Laika, JakRozar, Myron and Fiona are neighbours. See what happens later, as the two families clash. The other four try to drill some sense, with plenty of humour and fun.
Selvy has written a fine script. The direction is sleek and good performances are extracted from the entire cast. Some nice messages and good clean humour are the mainstay. Settings are by Ambajim while Dinesh provides the light effects. Cia Clancy plays Nisha, the daughter of the grave digger. She delivers a beautiful performance with just the right dressing! Meeta is the egoistic Trisha and she acts and dresses as her character requires. Pascoal is good as the grave digger, at times sad and at times quite witty and humorous. Prakash Marathe is cast well as the ungrateful son and Pradip Khandeparker, on stage after many years, does the role of the corrupt Souza well. And of course there is the comedy. Anita is in full form as Laika. Every entry is a laugh riot. Smartly dressed, she is the perfect foil for Selvy as JakRozar who entertains with his various moves and facial expressions. It is great to see the two together after many years. They have the audience rolling with laughter. Fiona, Myron and Francisco add to the humour.
Alex (saxophone), Joaquim (trumpet), Jaison (drums), Daniel (bass) and Richard (keyboard) back the various songs. Richard’s background is appropriate and pleasant. Francisco renders the opening song in style. There are other songs by Flaxcy, Meeta, Fiona, Francisco and others. A solo by Pascoal has good lyrics and is rendered well. A solo by Myron is quite amusing and sung very well, however the last verse needs to be changed. This is one of those tiatrs that you can laugh out loud and go home with a smile on your face. Don’t miss it!